What is the economic weapon (tool) given to employees in collective bargaining?

• A. Strike
• B. Lockout
• C. Mediation
• D. Boycott

Answer: (A)

In collective bargaining, unions use economic pressure to push concessions from the employer, and the strike is the clearest example of that leverage. A strike means workers stop performing their duties, which directly reduces production and can disrupt sales and profits. That immediate increase in the employer’s costs and urgency to resume normal operations gives workers a powerful incentive to bargain toward more favorable terms, such as wages, benefits, or working conditions. Strikes are typically understood as an employee tool regulated by labor law—protected when conducted within legal rules and union procedures.

The other options don’t fit as the employee’s economic weapon in the bargaining sense: a lockout is initiated by the employer to exert pressure, not the employees; mediation is a dispute-resolution step used to facilitate agreement rather than a pressure tactic; and a boycott is generally aimed at consumers or the market rather than directly withholding labor.